Rick did not go to work today. A state of emergency was declared by the state of New Jersey. We got dumped on royally. Hammered. Slammed with snow. At least it wasn’t heavy, wet snow.

Would someone out there please remind me the next time I want to get more or less snowed in? Would you remind me that sitting by the fire with the snow falling outside and watching Lord of the Rings is a lot of fun and all very nice but the price one has to pay the next day is not as fun? Digging out is hard work! We probably got about 20 inches of snow on the level and drifts that are much higher. The snow on our deck is around 30 inches I think because it blew off the roof and drifted pretty badly.

And the price one pays for having a cute little sports car sitting snug in its little cover in the garage is digging out the poor old Suburban that now lives outside in the driveway. Mia, I hope you realize how good you have it!

I tried to get on the deck from the driveway but I had trouble getting up the stairs so I had been letting the dogs out the basement door since we could not get out the sliding doors to the deck without letting a lot of snow fall inside the house. I let Bella and Hailey out downstairs, then came back upstairs thinking I would let them in in a few minutes. I heard Hailey bark and it sounded like she was down there wanting to come in, so down I went. Bella was happily laying in the snow bank, but no Hailey to be seen. I went back upstairs and it occurred to me that she might have tried coming up on the deck and maybe was stuck. I went to the sliding door and this is what I saw. Hailey. Wanting in.

After seeing that sad face I couldn’t turn her away, so we let her in and dealt with the avalanche of snow that came tumbling into the house with her. At least now there was a path through all that snow! Oh, and by the way, she is standing up!

After I shoveled a bit it looked like this:

Poor Rick looked like the abominable snowman on Johnny with the wind whipping the snow around.

I don’t think we’ll be eating at the table outside on the deck anytime soon.

Or by the pool for that matter!

Bella is probably the only one who is having fun today.

We are as “dug out” as we’re going to be and are now in for the rest of the day! Whew!

We couldn’t let the dogs out this way this morning.

Or any way on to the deck.

Bella was the only one brave enough to go all the way out into the snow. We had to let them out the basement door.

Still snowing a little but I think it’s done. Not certain if we will try to blow our driveway today or not since the wind is still very bad and the wind chill around zero. Definitely a day for staying inside by the fire!

Huh? From “this storm is going to pass us by” to BLIZZARD? I’ll believe it when I see it with my own eyes! Just in case I guess I’d better charge up the battery on my camera, don’t you think?

But while we wait for the the “blizzard” to begin I am going to share some photos of the kids and their Christmas. I hope Rick will put together a video of them like he did last year.

First, here’s a photo of our living room.

On Christmas eve we brought out the new dog bed we really bought solely for Bella so she would not sleep stretched out between us at night. Bella did not get in it but it was a busy bed nonetheless. Alex was the first one to claim it.

Then eBay.

Then Sam joined eBay and it became a cat bed instead of a dog bed. (Sorry for the bad photo.)

Alex grew tired of waiting up for Santa to arrive.

He was glad when morning came and he could take over his job of being “chief package opener.” Bella did a pretty good job this year too. I frankly thinks she just likes ripping the paper off.

Here is Bella with her snowman that plays “We wish you a Merry Christmas.” Gee thanks Auntie Linda and Uncle Phil. With this toy began a new Christmas tradition with “Auntie Linda and Uncle Phil” of who can find the most obnoxious dog toy.

Alex opened his buffalo bone that we bought the dogs when we were in Laramie. Yummy!

Hailey got one too, of course, but she doesn’t do opening.

The cats got very drunk on their catnip pillows.

eBay becomes a nasty drunk and goes a bit crazy.

While Sam just chills out and becomes very mellow. I think he pretty much slept all day.

Bella and Alex chew on their bones together. They are really good buddies.

We hope you had a great day! I’ll keep you posted on the snow report.

Last night we woke ourselves at 3:00 a.m. to view the lunar eclipse. We felt we had to. After all, it rarely occurs with the winter solstice. The last time it did was 1638. It was eerie. I stood there in my bathrobe with my dog-walking-jacket over it and paid homage to its rare reddish color. I tried to take a photo, but of course—no tripod! It was cold and windy, but very clear with lots of stars twinkling. I didn’t stay out long. This is my best effort at trying to capture it.

And, as predicted, the snow is gone from our Christmas forecast. They are saying it might snow the day after, but that’s still a pretty big “if.” It used to drive me crazy if it didn’t snow by Christmas so that there was at least some on the ground, but I think I am finally growing out of that childhood stage. It would sure be nice but it’s not going to happen. After all, Christmas is all about what’s in your heart and not on the ground!

We’ll be alone this Christmas. My sister and her husband are staying home and entertaining his side of the family, while our friend Carolyn is heading to the great Northwest to meet up with her family. I didn’t do a great deal of decorating this year, but enough. The Santa collection stayed in their boxes this year as did the little German village. I’ve been feeling the need to edit and simplify things. With our new landscaping out front we changed up our lighting strategy and used the net lights on the little trees that used to be stretched across the burning bush hedge (which has now moved) and they worked like a charm. I plug in the lighted garlands hung around the doorways inside the house every morning now. Have to get that Christmas spirit UP!

Our Sunday was spent by attending two different open houses on our street. The first was over at neighbor Kim’s and the second was all the way down the street with the folks who run our block party. And, darn it, I missed Fire Truck Santa again this year! We must have been over at Kim’s when he passed by. Why can’t I seem to catch him so I can photograph this silly event? Santa strapped to the bumper of a fire truck is a sight you don’t forget. I would gladly give them a donation for the chance to have my photo taken with him!

Our Christmas tree reflected in my wine glass.

Yesterday marked the last day (finally!) of pottery class. I’ve been trying to get back and glaze my piece for several weeks now but it hadn’t been fired yet. So yesterday was glazing day. She was going to fire last night so I am thinking of going back this afternoon to pick it up. Again, I have kind of an idea what the glaze is going to look like (it’s called Cappuccino Mint) but I did something different on the button and not sure how that’s going to look. Kind of like I was not sure what the inside of the previous bowl would look like and look how well that turned out! If I hate it I’ll just stick it away in a closet somewhere where I don’t have to look at it.

Also yesterday the dogs went to the groomers. They always come home smelling so wonderful and feeling so soft and fluffy. I try to appreciate it fully because it doesn’t last long. Alex is just like Pig Pen in the Charlie Brown comics and dirt seems to follow him everywhere he goes. Hailey usually stays pretty clean because she’s kind of a prissy girl, taking right after her father who was a pretty prissy boy. Now Bella is not a girly-girl at all. Look what the groomer put in her hair! We don’t expect it to last long.

Mom! Get this thing off my head!

So far this morning it’s still on. Now if that bow was on Hailey’s head instead Bella surely would have chewed it off by now!

Today will find me mostly staying home. I need to make cookies and wrap Rick’s presents. Mine are already under the tree and Sam has even opened one! Cats cannot resist paper, at least Sam can’t.  He looks pretty angelic though, doesn’t he? He’s not! I’m sure I’ll have his help wrapping.

We haven’t seen any bears for a long time. After the bear hunt I am sure they are all trying to lay low. We have plenty of birds: blue jays, titmice, white-breasted nuthatches, downy woodpeckers, chickadees, juncos (2 varieties), carolina wrens, cardinals and the red-bellied woodpeckers visits once in a while. I’ve seen quite a few deer crossing the road but they just don’t seem to like our yard. We have plenty of these little rodents though:

Yes, they are cute but we have so many. And they are so very greedy! Bella gets lots of exercise chasing them off the deck and down into the yard.

Well, that’s about it for today. Tomorrow I will hopefully have a photo or two of the latest (and last) pottery piece to show you. Until then, I toast you with some Christmas cheer!

Last weekend we took the dogs down to Green Turtle pond. Our path took us through the woods. The dogs love being off lead.

They’ve been trained to not stray too far from us by handing out treats when they return to us every once in a while. Here are Hailey and Alex doing just that.

This leaf has obviously been stuck on this tree’s trunk for quite some time as the fungus has grown over it and imprisoned it.

A few more fungi along the forest path.

Of course the walk is fun, but the real reason to walk all the way down to the pond of course, is the water. It’s a race!

And one dog is out in front! Can you guess which one?

Aaahhhh ... water, Bella says!

The other dogs are content to just have a good long drink of the cool water at the pond’s edge but not Bella. She has to go wading at least three or four times, sticking her head under the water to take big gulps.

And just one more splash in a mud puddle before leaving the pond. Gosh this is fun!

And what fun is a walk if you can’t collect leaves in your tail and skirts?

Come on mom and dad,  hurry up ... I’m waiting!

Every time I take this walk I never fail to be captivated by the captive branches.

This braided one I am going to use as inspiration for a pottery piece.

All in all it’s about a mile and a half down to the pond and we all love the ability to walk right out our front door, down our street and into the woods. Lucky dogs; lucky us!